1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a device for cleaning chalkboard dust from a conventional blackboard eraser commonly used by grade school teachers and university professors.
2. Prior Art
In schools and universities, it is common practice for teachers to use blackboards or other chalkboards to convey information to their students. The chalk-written information is then removed by hand manipulated erasers.
Before this invention, it has been common practice to clean blackboard erasers by clapping the erasers together or hitting the erasers against a wall or any other surface. This method gets the erasers clean, but it leads to getting chalk dust all over the hands, face and the clothes of the user. Also the dust gets all over the floors and walls of the building at the time that the cleaning takes place. Accordingly, this is a very messy, time-consuming and unsatisfactory approach to cleaning erasers.
Accordingly, this invention addresses this need in the art, as well as other needs which will become apparent to those skilled in the art once given this disclosure.
3. Summary of the Invention
A primary object of this invention is to provide a device for cleaning the blackboard erasers which may be used by school teachers and university professors such that eraser is contained within a housing to prevent dust from being expelled out into the surrounding area.
Another object of this invention is to provide an eraser cleaner that will collect the dust from the eraser in a compartment which may be emptied at the user's convenience.
These objects of this invention are basically attained by an eraser cleaner for removing chalkboard dust from a conventional blackboard eraser, comprising: a housing having a first opening for receiving an eraser entering into the housing, a second opening for receiving an eraser exiting from the housing and a cleaning area positioned between the first and second openings; a cleaning mechanism located within the cleaning area of the housing for removing chalkboard dust from an eraser entering the housing through the first opening and exiting the housing through the second opening; and a conveying mechanism coupled to the housing for moving an eraser entering the housing through the first opening through the cleaning area, past the cleaning mechanism and out of the housing through the second opening.
Other objects, advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the present invention.